We just moved into a subdivision that has a 40 acre lake that is only available to members of the HOA and their guests. Do I need a fishing license to fish and is there a bag or length limit?

If it's private then no state rules apply.

Cool Lake, Suggestion.

Go to a local lake and stock your pond with Bass in the 3 to 5 lbs range.

Stock some channel cats too, they tend to be more hearty in staying alive in transport.

Cool Subdivision you have

Isn't that illegal?

Yes, taking gamefish from public waters for other than consumption is illegal. Not a good thing to do.

Nice!

Take as many of those green trash fish out of the public lakes as you can put in yours !!! Illegal, possibly, but who is to know what you are gonna do with the legally caught fish. Of course you will need a license which then removes any worries of fishing your HOA lake. If your HOA has that good of a lake seems like they could buy some Florida bass and bullhead minnows for the lake !! Really inexpensive. We looked at having the state, Oklahoma, help us with our ponds, habitat, etc....but once you involve them then everything you do after that has to involve them.

I would reread the HOA regs and at least follow the TPWD regs for community ponds. Logic is a private land owner can't take deer whenever they want. With that said most urban ponds receive a ton of pressure. One or several residents or "guests" having card blanche can decimate a pond.

Sounds like a good fishing spot. Enjoy!

Thanks for the replies. This lake doesn't need any stocking, it has a good supply of bass already. I caught five 3 - 4 pounders on Saturday and another 4 on Sunday. My main concern about the license was for my wife who only fishes on occasion, I have my license as I fish public waters all the time.

Buy the license, they don't cost much and it is cheap insurance.

You do not need a fishing license for a private water body. The neighborhood association or the pond / lake owner may have fishing regulations in place that you may need to abide by, but is not required by TPWD.

Dan Ashe
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
409-698-9114 ext. 230

I would just get a license, just because you don't need one doesn't guarantee a game warden won't give you a ticket then it's up to you to prove him wrong.

There is no regulation that says that. The only relevant regulation is that you can't take fish from one public body of water and release them to a different PUBLIC body of water. There's nothing that says you can't put them in your own private body of water (or even put them in a fish tank if you want).

It is not an issue with transport, it isbased that a pond release is considered WASTE.

While you are specifically allowed to consume or take a game fish to a residence/aquarium or freezer for later consumption, releasing a game fish taken from public waters into open, unprotected waters would not ensure keeping the game fish "edible". You need to prepare to consume it or else you should not have removed it from where it was caught.

"WASTE OF GAME It is an offense if a person intentionally takes or possesses a
game bird, game animal, or a fish and intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly, or with criminal negligence, fails to keep
the edible portions of the bird, animal, or fish in an edible condition."

Soon as a fish dies in your aquarium, one has to prepare it for consumption. You can't very do that if it is floating belly up in an open private pond.

Sorry, that isn't what that regulation means. Waste of Game specifically means wasting an animal that you killed, i.e. throwing a bass on the bank and leaving it there to rot. You do not waste a fish if you let it go in another location, because then it is alive and no longer in your possession.